Embedded Drive Controls Engineer

Phoenix Technical Solutions; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Short-term disability

Long-term disability

Life insurance

IRA with company match

Paid holidays

Vacation

Job summary

Phoenix Technical Solutions is seeking a Drive Controls Engineer to lead locomotive and OHV drive control development, including control algorithm design, software requirements, and model-based implementation.

You will collaborate with Wabtec Freight teams in Erie, work on validation testing, and translate legacy C/C++ into modern control models using MATLAB/Simulink and Stateflow.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical, Computer Science or related technical discipline with 3–6 years of experience.
• Experience designing drive control systems and embedded architectures.
• Strong C/C++ knowledge and ability to map legacy code to modern models.

Responsibilities

• Identify requirements and design drive control systems across propulsion, braking, and supervisory interfaces.
• Develop control designs and critical interfaces for propulsion and auxiliary systems.
• Create test vectors, perform desktop simulations, and support SIL/HITL verification.
• Collaborate with other engineering teams for integration with heavy electrical components.
• Manage full-cycle design of new drive control features using model-based architectures (MATLAB/Simulink/Stateflow).
• Support lab and field validation testing.

Skills

C++

C

MATLAB

Stateflow

Embedded systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computing or technical discipline

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Stateflow

Job description

Title: Drive Controls Engineer – Locomotive and OHV Systems

Location: Wabtec Freight, Erie, PA

Job Description

We’re looking for a dynamic Drives Control Engineer to be responsible for all tasks and deliverables related to locomotive, OHV propulsion and auxiliary drive control system development, including control algorithm design, software requirements development, model-based implementation, integration, verification, and validation activities. The Drives Control Engineer will work closely with Wabtec Systems, Software, Power Electronics, and Verification teams to develop, maintain, and enhance locomotive drive control functionality.

Responsibilities

• Work cross functionally to identify and capture requirements and execute the design of drive control systems.
• Develop detailed control designs and define critical interfaces connecting propulsion, braking, auxiliary, and supervisory systems.
• Develop robust test vectors, execute desktop simulation testing, and support Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) verification environments.
• Interface/work with other engineering teams during developmental stages to ensure successful integration with the function of heavy electrical componentry.
• Manage the full-cycle design and development of new drive control system features. Including the build, simulation, and modification of model-based control architectures using MATLAB/Simulink and Stateflow.
• Use creativity to find solutions for design modifications and troubleshooting of drive control systems.
• Directly assist and support engineering lab and field validation testing.

Desired Skills

• Experience in using (C++, C, MATLAB, etc), with knowledge of various other common languages (including vintage languages).
• An understanding of control logic function and its interaction between major electrical components.
• The ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Past design experience working with embedded architectures, combined with a strong ability to read, analyze, and map legacy C/C++ control code back into modern control models.
• Deep understanding of motor control algorithms, converter/inverter topologies, torque/speed regulation, and power electronics management.
• Ability to create engineering experiments and execute testing to create workable solutions for drive controls systems.
• Background designing protection functions, fail-safes, and complex embedded diagnostic/fault management loops.
• Additional experience/knowledge with locomotive embedded systems design a plus.

Qualifications/Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Electrical, Computer Science or a Technical Discipline with 3 to 6 years of related experience.

Benefits

Phoenix Technical Solutions offers an attractive compensation and benefits package; including health, dental, vision, STD, LTD, Life, IRA with generous company match, paid holidays, vacation and more. Our global commitment to technological advancement offers opportunities for personal growth and development in a stable, supportive work environment.